Survival
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: AU/OOC Annie Walker decided to take in some tandem parasailing during her vacation in Hawaii. A tragedy has her and instructor Auggie Anderson plummeting down into the forest. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Panic. That was Annie's first thought when her breath came back. Gulp after gulp of air. When enough oxygen had gotten her body and brain feeling less like it was dying, she forced herself to breathe normally. She'd read somewhere that, after something like this, you should stay still and make sure nothing's broken or punctured.

From her toes up, she did small clenches and releases, small moves. Nothing broken. She sighed with relief, then decided to bite the bullet and open her eyes.

Green. Brown. Black. The air was thick and heavy, woodsy. Not at all as pretty as it did when she was flying above it. Flying. Oh, God, she thought, as the memories of how she'd gotten there raced through her head. It had only been a few minutes, right? She hadn't blacked out after their crash through the canopy, had she?

Only one way to find out. Her final resting place had her on her side, the harness still tied tight around her body. Parasail, she remembered. No, tandem parasail. She hadn't been flying alone. Her instructor, who had been strapped to her back, Mr. Anderson, was no longer connected to her.

She pushed her body up off the forest floor, thankful for its somewhat soft landing, and began to look around.

They'd taken off in the boat this morning and were parasailing around one of the more picturesque and uninhabited islands, she remembered. The sun shone bright, if mottled, through the canopy.

"Mr. Anderson!" she shouted, straining her eyes and ears for any kind of response.

A groan sounded behind her, and she turned around to see him just a few feet behind her, as tangled in the harness and ropes as she was. She crawled over to him, pushing leaves and sticks out of the way as she went.

"Mr. Anderson. Auggie. Are you okay?" she asked.

"Give me a second," he groaned out. He was laying on his back with his knees pulled up. The harnesses were wrapped askew around his body, and she wondered if she looked as scraped and dirty as he did.

Annie breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't dead or unconscious. And, as he went through the same self-check she did – moving each limb carefully to ascertain its healthfulness – she sat back into the grass and began to work at the harnesses. They were tight to begin with and, after being violently ripped away from Auggie, they were nearly strangling her.

The day had started out fantastic. Annie had decided to spend her last days in Hawaii doing something thrilling. The previous days of her two-week vacation had been spent swimming, beachcombing, sightseeing, and shopping. It was wonderful and everything she thought it'd be, but an advertisement for parasailing caught her eye, and she called the company yesterday.

Hours of land-based instruction preceded actually touching a boat, and Annie was fascinated by the whole ordeal. She'd never been one to shy away from adventure and the thought of flying like a bird seemed like a dream. The company, Flying High, was owned by Mr. Anderson and Joan and Arthur Campbell. Joan was an expert at sailing, and the two men traded off taking clients up in the sails. Annie had been the only one slated to fly today, and it was supposed to be a quick couple hours of sailing and flying, then back home to Maui.

Mr. Anderson had been completely in control throughout the instruction and flight. His confidence had put her at ease, and she soon relaxed and spent the short time they were slated to be in the air taking in the sights as he floated them up and over the trees. She'd gasped and giggled with delight when a hidden waterfall came into view. She'd even wondered at the time how wonderful it would be to be down there in the tropical paradise.

But then, halfway through their allotted flying time, she'd heard Auggie swear behind her. She'd been looking down the whole time, so when she looked up and around, she saw Auggie working feverishly on the lines and felt gusts of wind buffet them.

Auggie had swore again, but the winds whipping around them made his words get lost. She hadn't known what was wrong, what had happened, and she'd attempted to turn her head to ask what was going on.

"Stop moving!" Auggie shouted. That she heard, and Annie turned her head back around and crossed her arms around her chest, trying to keep as far away from him as possible. Considering they were strapped completely together, back to front, it was almost an impossible task.

The next second, they had begun to spun. Not very fast, but enough for Annie to know it was not good. Auggie had yelled out again in frustration, and Annie began to feel her frustration and panic begin to soar. She'd clamped her mouth shut to keep from screaming. A few seconds later, she'd shut her eyes, too. The spinning and pitching was making her nauseous.

Another gust caught them, and Auggie yelled out another epithet and wrapped his arms and legs around her.

"Hang on!" he'd shouted.

It was the last thing she remembered until she woke up on the floor of the forest.

* * *

**A/N Well, here it is, the beginnings of my new story idea. And yeah, I know. There are no "uninhabited" islands of Hawaii like the one I'm introducing here, but it's called fiction for a reason. My inspiration was based on an island somewhere else in the globe, but I liked the idea of Hawaii better. After all, that's why they call it fiction, right?**

**Please leave your thoughts in a review. Oh, BTW. This is completely AU/OOC, 'cause it'll feature a "sighted" Auggie. **


	2. Chapter 2

Auggie POV

When Annie crawled over to Auggie to ascertain that he was okay, as well, he could do nothing but grunt out that he needed a few minutes, but inside, he was breathing a huge sigh of relief that she was okay, and he hadn't killed her with his negligent behavior. When that sigh was over, he mentally berated himself. He wouldn't done it out loud, but he didn't want to scare the woman any further.

Damn it, he thought. Why did he take her up this afternoon, when he knew the wind forecast conditions were iffy? The answer came quickly from the other side of his brain. 'Cause she was a smokin' hot blonde with a bounce in her step and a smile that could light up the night sky. She also said she was leaving to head back to the mainland the next day, and he couldn't believe his luck. Why the gods had decided to gift him with such a rare beauty only to jerk it away so quickly was beyond him.

So, he ignored the advice of his partners, Joan and Arthur Campbell, and said he'd instruct Ms. Walker and take her up that afternoon. He wasn't suicidal. He'd studied the wind forecasts, and there was a definite lull in which they could get in a good 20-minute ride.

Then, he would lay on the charm and talk her into dinner that night and perhaps one final amazing night before her vacation was over. He grimaced at himself as he lay in the damp, leaf-ridden ground. Well, Anderson, he thought. You wanted her all to yourself. Now it seems your wishes have been granted.

He closed his eyes and groaned as all the implications of what had just happened rushed into his head. They'd be probably proclaimed missing, and Joan, after circling the island a couple of times, would probably head back to their office and inform Arthur. Auggie just hoped they wouldn't take too many monumental efforts to try to find them. It was bad enough he got one innocent person lost on a remote, dangerous island. To add two more to the mix would be catastrophic.

A flutter on his chest made his eyes fly open, and he quickly pushed away whatever it was.

"Sorry, just thought you'd want to be out of the harness as much as me," Ms. Walker said, a small smile on her lips as she knelt in the leaves beside him. How she could smile just that little bit considering their situation was beyond him.

"No problem. You just startled me," Auggie said. With a groan from his aching, probably soon-to-be-riddled-with-bruises body, he sat up. The harnesses were pretty constricting, and he set about removing them. With the mood he was in, he had half a mind to throw them across the clearing, but the more practical side of him knew to gather and hoard whatever he had and could find.

His decade with the armed forces – some of which he could never speak of – had taught him well, and ingrained in his psyche that whatever you could find, you could use. He just hoped that his skills and knowledge were enough to get Ms. Annie Walker back home safely.

"So, umm, do you know where we are?"

"Huh?" Auggie asked.

"Well, when we started to fall, I got scared," she said, looking down at her clenching fingers. "I closed my eyes, so I didn't know where we ended up."

Auggie didn't doubt that for a second. He had half a thought while they were going down to throw his arms around her and just pray. But even through his anger and panic, his training had kicked in. He'd gotten a brief glimpse of where they broke through the tree canopy and had a good idea of where they were in terms of where they needed to be.

"I don't have the exact coordinates, but don't worry, Ms. Walker. It may seem like a disaster now, but I'll have you home before you know it."

"By my departure time tomorrow?" she asked with a laugh.

Auggie couldn't believe she was cracking jokes at this period of time, but he had to smile, just the same. "Can't quite guarantee that, but don't worry. Flying High will get you back among the civilized and comp you any travel changes you'll have to make to your schedule."

"That's not necessary," she said.

My eyebrows rose to practically my hairline at that. "Not necessary? I'm the one who got you in the mess. I will get you back to the beach where Joan was supposed to pick us up, and I'll return you back home, safe and sound, Ms. Walker."

Auggie knew he was almost shouting at the end, but the guilt was eating him up from inside, and he had to vent somehow. The mission in mind, his body responded automatically and got up, packing together the harness and other equipment he'd dropped with. He looked up in the trees to see that the canvas of their parasail was caught up in a few of the branches. He hoped to salvage it, so he began to tug on the lines. He could deal with a few rips. If they ended up having to spend the night in the jungle, wrapping in the material would keep them safe and comfortable.

A pair of tanned, slight hands joined his on the lines, and he looked over to see Ms. Walker joining him on gathering their equipment. He would have said something about how he could do this himself, but his guilt was still eating at him and choking off any rebuke he would have given her.

Within a few minutes, they were laughing as the billowing canopy finally let loose and fell on both of them. Auggie was happy, though, that they had secured all of their equipment. He had a wealth of knowledge about the Hawaiian islands, having lived there for several years now, but this island was remote and uninhabited for a reason. The volcano-produced terrain meant no flat land of any significance anywhere, and the rumors of feral animals made him all the more worried about how long they'd have to stay there before being rescued.

It took another few minutes before the voluminous material was put back together into a manageable armful and for Auggie to stuff it back into the pack.

He looked up at Ms. Walker. "Well, what do you say we figure out how to get out of here?"

* * *

**A/N Was halfway towards giving up on this, but I still got the main idea in my head. Might as well write it out. :) Have a good weekend, everyone.**

**And, please, review, if you please. It's the only way I can tell you want to read more, ya know. Don't be shy.**


	3. Chapter 3

Annie POV

She stood back and watched as Auggie took the voluminous material of their parasail – mostly in one piece, but with obvious tears and rips – and refolded it with sure, quick hands. Though he returned her smile earlier and laughed at her nervousness-inspired joke, he seemed really angry. She couldn't blame him, given their situation, but Annie wondered about his vehemence and that all the blame was on him. It was an accident, wasn't it? They happen.

In a few minutes, he was finished, and Annie marveled at how he'd gotten that huge swath of material into such a small parcel, which he was now wrapping with the harness lines to be able to carried. Her perusal also allowed her to really take him in. She'd been so excited to get up in the air earlier today, she hadn't really paid attention to her instructor, other than the fact that he wasn't bad on the eyes.

He wore heavy boots, like her, and khaki cargo pants. He wore a light, fitted jacket, unzipped halfway down, showing a white tee underneath. Even with all the material covering him, Annie saw how lithe and muscular he was. Though she was 5'8", he still topped her by several inches. The skin that showed was tanned, and his curly hair was longish and highlighted by the sun.

"Well, what do you say we figure out how to get out of here?"

Annie was so lost in her thoughts that it took her a few seconds to respond. "Hmm? Oh, yes, of course."

He gave her an odd look, but Annie tried to hide her nervousness at both the situation and being caught ogling the man with a look of confidence.

"Okay. We need to get moving, but first, I'd like to take an inventory of all the supplies we have on us."

He motioned over to a fallen stump, and Annie followed him and sat down. "Oh, wait," he said. "I assumed just because you're walking fine and talking that you weren't injured. Did you get hurt in the fall? Are you dizzy? In pain?"

Annie shook her head. "I think I might have fainted or something, 'cause I remember waking up on the ground, but nothing's broken or twisted or sprained. I made sure to do a body check before moving. Just a bit sore all over."

He nodded, but seemed impressed at her, and Annie felt some of her nervousness ebb away. "Are you okay, as well? I mean, I have some first aid training," she offered.

"I'm good. I may have twisted my back a bit, but…" his voice trailed off, and he shrugged. Annie would have pressed the issue, but he was busy reaching into his pockets and depositing everything he had on the moss-covered log between them.

Following his lead, Annie did so, as well. She was dressed somewhat like Auggie, with the addition of a small pack she had around her waist hidden under her jacket. Though she knew the flight would have been only a half hour, and the boat ride an hour in addition of that, Annie believed in being prepared for anything.

Auggie's small pile included a wallet, Swiss Army knife, some kind of electrical device that Annie couldn't figure out, and half a granola bar. She grinned at the final item. Well, at least they won't go hungry for a few hours, she thought.

"Okay, that's all my stuff," she said, patting the rest of her pockets to confirm that she'd emptied everything. She looked up at him to gauge his reaction, but he was staring at the log and the pile of goods she'd had secreted in all her pockets and belt pack. Great, Annie thought. Now he's gonna make fun of her, too, for being overly anal retentive and overly cautious.

"I know, I probably shouldn't have brought so much stuff, but experience has taught me it's always that one item that you wish you had that you find you need later on, you know?" she tried to explain away her pack rat tendency. "I mean, it didn't weigh that much."

Auggie caught her waving hands, and her babbling explanation ground to a halt. "Don't apologize, Ms. Walker. This – you've – Wow. I thought we were in serious trouble 'cause I'm sure my cell here got broke in the fall, but, really, you probably saved us here."

Annie beamed at his praise and watched as he began picking up all the stuff she'd offered on the log. "Let's see," he said. "First thing, I can't believe you brought a compass. Did you think I'd get us lost?" he asked, a smile transforming his formally serious face into one of hope.

"No," Annie shrugged. "I've had it for years. Easier to use when you're wandering the streets of a city you haven't been in before to find your way. Maps are so literal. I'd rather just explore, you know?"

He nodded, but kept going through the rest of her items. Annie wasn't sure what use the rest of the stuff would be, but he was nodding to himself as he took the inventory.

In all her travels, Annie had honed her travel pack to the bare minimum, but it was still fully stocked. A first aid kit, sewing kit, small pen knife, a few water purification tablets, an emergency blanket, and a small notebook and pencil. The last two items Annie probably could do without, but she always liked to be able to write down her thoughts wherever she was.

Auggie picked up the plastic-wrapped pack that housed the folded emergency blanket. "This will probably save our lives," he said.

"Really?" Annie asked. "So, you think we'll probably be here overnight?"

Her anxiety and nervousness began to build again, and she reached for her items to repack them back into her pockets, hoping he couldn't see her shaking fingers. Though she'd backpacked out of doors and hiked on nearly every continent in her lifetime, for some reason, this unplanned camping trip unnerved her.

"It's an hour after we left the boat, and we did that at noon. It starts getting dark here around 7 with total darkness by 8. If we're close to the coast, maybe we can make it by then, but…"

He shrugged, and Annie couldn't help but visibly shudder. She then began to get slightly mad at herself for being such a wimp about the situation, given her solo treks around the world, but she couldn't help it. Those hiking trips were planned and executed with a set goal in mind. She'd never been in a situation before where she didn't know where she was or where she was going or how long it would take her to get back home.

Her hands began to shake even more as she picked up her first aid kit, and her fumbling fingers had it dropping to the ground. Both she and Auggie bent to retrieve it, and their fingers clasped it and each other at the same time. Neither let go, and Auggie's eyes met hers as they straightened up.

"Hey," he said, his other hand enveloping hers and the kit. "I meant what I said before. I'm getting us out of here, no matter what."

The warmth and strength of his hands as they enveloped hers, as well as the sincere look in his chocolate brown eyes soothed Annie, and she felt some of her anxiety settle down.

Annie nodded, not trusting her voice at this point, 'cause she had a habit of babbling when she was so nervous. Instead, she slid her hand out of his and restocked her pockets with the goods. He did the same, and they both stood when finished. He picked up the wrapped sail and harnesses and slung it over his shoulders.

"I want to start moving, maybe get to a clearing or at least somewhere with a strong enough and big enough tree that I can climb to see above this canopy," Auggie said, motioning to the thick, dense foliage above them.

"Want to take my compass?" Annie offered.

"In a bit. Got to know where we are before we know where we need to go," he replied with a smile.

Then he turned away from her and began to walk through the brush. Annie's anxiety was still there, but the confidence and sure step of the man walking in front of her made her believe that this trip would probably outshine any she'd ever had in her life.

* * *

**A/N Sorry for the delay in updating, but haven't had some free time to write in a while. Sucks, completely. But made myself sit down and get another chapter out. Can't leave these two stranded in the jungle forever, now, could I? Hope Annie's "survival kit" wasn't too OCD for her character, but I figured with her travel background and my own anal tendencies, it's what I'd take with me whenever I go on vacation. :)**

**Love all of your reviews and replies and love to this story. Personally, I'd love to give a shoutout to the anon reviewers who I can't review reply to personally. Your sincere feedback and appreciation means so much to me.**

**Please review! What would you like our favorite couple to do stranded, alone, in the jungle? heehee.**


	4. Chapter 4

Auggie POV

For the first time since he'd landed on this rock of an island, Auggie felt a bit more optimistic about his chances of getting both him and his ward back home alive. He knew he'd be able to stay alive there for at least a week by himself, but having a tourist to look after, as well? His training didn't quite reach to babysitting, and he hoped Ms. Walker was able to at least keep up with him.

But, he thought, as they walked at somewhat of a brisk pace through the brush, she did bring all that survival equipment with her. It'd put his handy dandy Swiss Army knife he never went anywhere without to shame.

His curiosity soon got the best of him after about ten minutes. "Ms. Walker, may I ask you a question?"

"Annie."

"Huh?"

"I think we're past the Mr. and Ms. stage," she said. "Just call me Annie."

"Annie, then. I was just wondering why you brought all that gear. I'm grateful for it, don't get me wrong, but most women I've taken parasailing usually just have a comb in their pocket to fix their hair when we land."

Her laughter rang out behind him. "Well, now that I think about it, maybe I should have brought that, as well. But no, I've learned over the years that it's best to be prepared for anything. I've honed everything down to what I've got here. If I'm backpacking, of course, there's room for a lot more."

Auggie came to a stop and allowed her catch up to him. "So, you're a nomad or something?" he asked with a smile.

"Something like that," Annie replied. "I like to travel."

She didn't expound, and instead brushed by him to take the lead through the trees. Auggie's brow furrowed with her four-word answer. I like to travel? That's all she was giving him by way of answer? His original idea about her – that she was just like all the other tourists he'd taken up into the air – was being seriously wrenched.

He watched her departing figure until the blue of her jacket was almost completely obliterated by the forest. "Annie, wait!" he shouted, running to catch up. "You really shouldn't go off alone like that. We need to stick together."

Her eyebrow arched at him, but she obligingly stepped aside to let him take lead again. "And, no offense, but I think I'm better suited to go first."

"If you say so," Annie replied. "But you were looking for a clearing or maybe a large tree to better see the terrain around us, right?"

"How did you know that?" he asked, before raising a hand. "No, wait, I forgot. You like to travel. Just, let me do this, okay? It's gonna be difficult enough getting us off this island without having to worry about you wandering off on your own, okay?"

She raised both her hands in surrender, but the look in her eyes showed that Auggie would probably have to keep a better rein on her so they'd get out of there alive. He was close to losing his temper, he knew, but he clamped his mouth shut in frustration and turned away. He wasn't sure what it was about this pretty blonde woman that packed survival blankets for a two-hour vacation tryst that unnerved him.

As he stomped through the rocks and dirt and dodged trees and downed limbs, he didn't even turn back to make sure she was okay. Her footfalls close behind showed him she was, and it allowed him to clear his head and concentrate on what needed to be done.

He mentally head slapped himself as he thought of his former Army buddies. They'd be laughing themselves silly at the sight of Captain August Anderson being bested and outdone by a curvy blonde girl whose face looked like it belonged on a magazine cover. Then they'd shout at him to get his ass in gear and get the hell out of that jungle.

His Special Forces drill instructor's voice pounded through his head, reminding him of the necessities of survival. Shelter, water, food. The latter he had covered, though he wasn't sure how far a Power bar would get the two of them, and the water purification tablets Annie had in her pack covered the potable water. Now all he needed to do was get them shelter. Where they were right now was out of the question. Too much vegetation, and he didn't feel safe out in the open on the ground. He might've been able to tough it out, but he doubted Annie's "travels" taught her how to keep safe from the nocturnal wildlife he knew inhabited these islands.

His watch, thankfully, survived the fall, and it was getting to be mid-afternoon. He needed to figure out how close to the coast they were, 'cause if they were too far, he knew their first step would be trying to find somewhere to bed down for the night.

And, just as that thought crossed his mind, the thick vegetation cleared a bit in front of him, and he could see the thick trunk of a tree that jutted skyward. "Finally," he said, half-running to it. "I'm going to shimmy up this, okay?"

Annie had finally caught up to him and sank to the ground at the base of the tree. "Go on, I need a break, anyway."

She was breathing hard, and Auggie hesitated, one hand on a low-hanging branch. "Hey, you okay?"

The look she shot him was one of annoyance, but he could see also exhaustion and a bit of fear. "I'm fine."

Her tone of voice belied her words, so he let go of the tree branch and dropped to the ground beside her. "I meant what I said before, Ms. Wa—Annie. I'm gonna get you home."

"I know," she said. "Just, could you do so with shorter steps?"

That had him smiling despite his serious mood. "I can work on that. But you know time and daylight isn't something that's on our side right now. We need to either find our way down to the coast before the sun sets, or get somewhere with better visibility and hunker down for the night."

She nodded, "I know. It's just, this isn't what was I was planning to do this afternoon."

"Me, either, but hey, look on the bright side."

When he didn't continue to talk, she prompted, "Which is?"

"Don't know. Why don't you think of one while I shimmy up this tree?" He then jumped to his feet and, putting his heavy-treaded boots to good use, took grip of the tree and climbed from branch to branch. He had to be careful, 'cause some of the branches creaked under his weight.

Finally he'd climbed higher than the surrounding trees, and he didn't waste any time in scoping the terrain. The past year he'd spent sailing around and over the island meant he had a detailed knowledge of what he was looking at. Well, he thought. It could be worse, but they were nowhere close to the coast. The waterfall that most of his clients oohed and ahhed over when he flew them over it was below them – he could tell from the mist that drifted in the air – was below them. Which meant they had a lot of terrain to cover. Terrain that'd they'd never be able to cover in the handful of hours of sunlight they had left to them.

He allowed himself a few seconds of disappointment before he swallowed it and made his way quickly back down to the ground. To his surprise, Annie was no longer sitting at the base, panting. Instead, she was watching him.

"Hey, afraid I was gonna fall?" he asked with a smirk.

"Not afraid, no. Just wondering how I was gonna set your broken leg with no medical equipment once you did fall," she replied.

"Funny. But I haven't fallen yet. Got some bad news."

"Worse than this?"

"There's no way we can reach the coast by night fall," he said. "So, we'll have to cover as much ground as we can for a couple hours, then bunk down for the night."

"Wow, really?" she asked. "Are you sure?"

"Sorry, Annie."

"For what?"

Auggie shrugged, not quite able to bring himself to admit to going up with her when he knew how dangerous the wind forecast was, just 'cause he wanted to spend some time with her before she left. "Our best bet is to aim for a tributary and follow it down. The waterfall is due west of here, so we can head for that. It'd give us some water for the morning, if anything."

"Sounds like a plan," she replied.

* * *

**A/N Loving all the continued interest in this little AU. Who else wouldn't want to get lost in the jungle with their own personal Soldier Boy?**

**And in reply to a recent review: very AU. No CIA. Just general same background of both characters, Annie being translator and world traveler and Auggie being former soldier. The idea for this story came to me first, and I wanted to write it, so decided to make a fanfiction out of it featuring my favorite couple to write for.**

**Please review! **


	5. Chapter 5

They'd been walking and stumbling through the dense forest for a couple of hours when Annie heard Auggie mumble out a "Thank God," and his steps hurried a bit further. Annie was already wiped out trying to keep up with his harried pace. She hoped his muttered prayer meant they'd be stopping soon, or maybe he'd spied the beach ahead of them.

Suddenly, the darkness of green and brown they'd been surrounded with all day – despite the sun beating down on them – disappeared, and she stumbled to a halt at the site before her. Auggie's trot away from her took him into what was probably the only "meadow" on the entire island. Granted, she'd seen bigger clear areas in her lifetime, but the place looked like a paradise in the middle of – well, paradise, but somewhere they could relax. Plus, the little field of bright green grass that was lit up by the afternoon sun sloped down toward a small rill of running water. Not enough to take a bath in, Annie thought, but she could see how clear it was from where she stood.

With a giggle, she ran up to where Auggie stood, his face raised to the blue sky. "It's not the beach, but not bad," she said, smiling up to him.

"I'd rather my own bed, but we've got some time before dark to rig up something," he replied, his own smile reflecting her relief.

Their little bubble of happiness lasted for a few more minutes as they stood in the sun until Auggie sighed and began to separate out their tasks.

He would rig together an elevated place for them to sleep, and she would hit the small stream and gather water. At first, Annie wasn't sure what he expected her to do, but with sure, quick hands, he unraveled part of their parasail he'd folded up and had been carrying across his back. His knife came out, and he cut off a large portion and tied up the corners into a carrying sack.

Annie knew what to do with the water purification tablet, having used a few in the past. She hoped the stream water wasn't too contaminated. She remembered back to one time when she was on a safari through the Kalahari. She shuddered with past memories at the almost medicinal taste of the water she and the other members of their group had had to endure at the time.

She sank down onto the long grasses whose tips bent and dipped into the running water. Good idea, she thought. Her feet were aching from the forced march, and right now, they were begging for the coolness presented in front of them. Half a minute later, her boots and socks were sitting beside her, and her hot, sweaty feet were cooled almost instantly in the cool, rushing wetness.

A loud, audible sigh emanated from her lips, and she fought an urge to strip off the rest of her clothes and join her feet in the revelry. No, she thought. She had a job to do, and if the sounds behind her were any clue, Auggie was well ahead of her in his task.

It took some maneuvering to hold the bag steady and be able to fill it without dropping it or herself into the water, but after a few minutes, she'd gotten the makeshift material full. By the amount of water she'd gotten, it'd take only half of one of her water purification tablets, so she broke one in half with her thumb nail and dropped it in. She swirled it around, watching the iodine tablet dissolve and begin to color the water.

Her task complete, she tied the top of the makeshift canteen. It'd be a half an hour before the water became drinkable, so she dipped her feet back into the water, taking the time to rub some of the dust and dirt off of her legs. She splashed some onto her hands and arms and rubbed some on her face, as well. It'd have to do in place for a shower, for now.

With her shoes and socks back on, she gathered the sail full of purifying water and carried it carefully back across the grass to Auggie. She leaned it against a tree trunk carefully so the water wouldn't leak out of the top.

"Water's ready," she told him. "And the stream's cool if you want to wash off once you're done."

"Thanks," Auggie grunted.

He'd already built up a pile of fallen thick branches and was now wrapping the cording and harnesses from their parasail between two trees that stood on the edge of their little meadow. "I need to get these strong enough to hold both of our weights," he said, straining with the effort.

"I'm not going to ask how much you're guessing my weight," Annie quipped. "Anything I can do now?"

"Start collecting some of those long fronds to lay on the logs. It's not gonna be that comfortable, but it's better than lying on bare wood."

Annie looked around to where he was pointing in the brush and set about gathering some. "Why can't we just sleep in the grass? It was really soft when I was sitting in it," she asked.

"Guess you didn't see all the footprints through the woods as we were hiking here, did you?"

"Footprints? What, there's other people here?"

Auggie laughed. "No, not people. Smaller, and from the size of them, I'd say pigs."

Now it was Annie's turn to laugh. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. And it's not funny. It's not Babe running around here. Besides the terrain, the infiltration and proliferation of feral pigs onto the island have kept people away."

Another bubble of laughter crept up Annie's throat, but by the look of seriousness on Auggie's face, she swallowed it. She wasn't stupid and knew the meaning of the word "feral," but she couldn't picture pigs being so dangerous that they'd have to guard themselves against them.

"And before smoke comes pouring out of your ears trying to figure it out, yes, they are dangerous. They carry diseases and ruin the ground and water supplies with their wallowing. They also breed rampantly."

"Oh," Annie said. "So, I guess we'd better steer clear of them, huh?"

"Hence the elevated bed we're making," Auggie said. "It's summer, so the temperature won't get that low, but it'll still be in the 60s. We'll cover everything with the sail to keep out bugs as much as we can and wrap in the survival blanket."

Annie deposited a pile of the long-leafed fronds by the logs. The long day, heat, and anxiety had depleted her energy, and she looked longingly at the bag of water. "Has it been 30 minutes yet?"

"Almost. Why don't you take a break? When the water's ready, we can rehydrate, and you can have the Power Bar in my pack."

Annie dropped down onto the ground. "I thought you only had one."

"I do. Well, a little over half a one."

"Then we're splitting it," Annie insisted.

"Annie, it's not –"

"I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight knowing you're hungry. Please, Auggie," she said.

"Okay. We might find something to eat when we head out tomorrow, or maybe we'll run across one of those pigs, and we can have a barbecue."

Annie's mouth watered at the temptation, but she swallowed that down and refused to allow herself to think of food right now. It was way too soon to think of starving, but just the knowledge they had nothing but purified water to sustain them got her stomach grumbling.

"Annie?"

She looked up to see Auggie had walked up to her and crouched at her feet. "We're gonna get out of here."

She wanted to be brave and confident, but could do nothing but nod.

* * *

**A/N Next chapter, spending a night under the stars/moon cuddled with Auggie under a survival blanket. There are worse things Annie could do. :)**

**Please review! Love all of you guys. You keep me writing.**


	6. Chapter 6

Auggie POV

He'd been contemplating rigging some sort of a fire for a bit of light, warmth, and smoke signal, but Auggie decided against it once their "bed" was fixed for the night. For one, they had no fire-making equipment. And two, he was exhausted. They'd split the Powerbar he had, and though it took off the edge, he was still hungry. And that was due to his normal routine of not eating much before a flight.

He'd never thrown up while in the air, but didn't want to take any chances. He was paying for it now, though he'd never give voice to it at this point. Military training instilled in him over his active years in a uniform what was priority and what wasn't. For now, they were safe, headed in the right direction, off the ground, and hydrated.

That satisfied Captain Auggie. Civilian Auggie was laid out on the log hammock, shoulder to thigh against a warm, curvy, blonde who'd surprised him all throughout the day. Now they lay, both on their backs, on a bed of somewhat soft fronds, silver blanket holding in their body heat and billow of white parasail hanging above them.

If the bed had been a bit softer, Auggie thought, he could have pretended that they were camping, and the sail was the top of their tent, and the survival blanket their sleeping bags they'd zipped together. He sighed and gave his head a shake. The time for any kind of romance with this woman had come and gone when they landed, he knew. He was pretty sure there was no way she'd consider going out with him now.

"Auggie?" he heard a whisper beside him. "You asleep?"

"No," he replied. "But you should be. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

A couple of creaks and a shuffling sound, and he felt the warmth of her body shift from the side of her body to – holy crap, he thought. She'd moved onto her side, facing him. He gulped down his natural reaction to such an intimate pose and attempted to slow his breathing and heart rate.

"I know, but this isn't the most comfortable bed to try to fall asleep on," she said.

"It takes some getting used to, I know. When I've done it in the past, I'm usually so exhausted by the time I'm done, I pass out on it," Auggie laughed softly.

The moon was at about three-quarters full and had just cleared the tree tops of their meadow. Its glow was made brighter by the white sail surrounding them. Auggie turned his head to the side and saw that the ambient light made her fair skin almost luminesce. He'd thought her beautiful before, but now? Now he knew he was a goner, and if she shifted any closer to him, he wouldn't be responsible for what his body did.

"So, you've done this kind of thing before?" she asked, propping her elbow up beside her head to learn her hand on.

"A time or two," Auggie said with a shrug. He wasn't trying to put her off, but his time in Special Forces came with a code of silence that he'd yet to break.

"Just for kicks, or do you make a habit of plummeting down to the ground and camping out on remote, uninhabited islands?" she asked, her perfect bow mouth tilting up in a smile.

"Well," Auggie said, twisting his body around to face hers. Less strain on his neck if they were going to have a conversation, he told himself, but his body knew better. Their knees knocked as the makeshift hammock creaked with the movement. He waited until the creaking stopped before completing his reply.

"Would me saying 'I'd have to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you' sound really clichéd right now?"

"Yeah, it would," she replied.

Given their current positions – nearly body-to-body full length – Auggie was well aware of how intimate this situation had turned, and to tell the truth, he didn't mind one bit. And if he were to be questioned afterwards, he was just following her lead.

"Cliché it is, but also true. What I can tell you is that, for a good while after high school and college, I was employed by the United States Army, and later, Special Forces. There are some times in my life that I'll never forget," he said truthfully. "And can never talk about."

He'd given that speech before in his life, and usually it was met by a frown or a "yeah, right," but Annie's reaction completely froze him.

She reached up with one hand and stroked his now beard-shadowed jaw. "It must be difficult to have to live like that," she said. Her eyes, shadowed brown and glowing impossibly too bright for the amount of light available, honed in on his. "I thought that you'd had some military training, but completely unable to talk about it?"

Her head shook, and with a silent moan of dissatisfaction, Auggie noted her hand left his cheek and tucked under her own arm.

"It's okay," Auggie said quickly. "I knew what I was getting into. And it's just the details nothing nobody wants to hear about, anyway."

She shook her head again, and Auggie's hand automatically – as in without benefit of his mind saying keep his distance – reached out to tuck the hair that had fallen behind her ear. And that one gesture was the proverbial final straw, for it told him how soft her hair and skin was.

With as much self-control as he could muster, he pulled his hand back. But, given their close proximity, his hands would be too close to her chest or waist or hips for his comfort. He settled for tucking both of them under his chin and pretending he was okay with their close proximity.

A few silent moments passed between them before Annie said, "So, umm, is there anybody missing you tonight?"

Auggie's brow creased at the question. "What do you mean?"

Her own brow rose at his reply. "You know what I mean. You're not wearing a ring, but that doesn't really mean anything nowadays."

"Oh, yeah. I mean, no. No one's missing me tonight. What about you? I know you came in to parasail by yourself, but –" He couldn't quite bring himself to ask the full question, 'cause his inner caveman was pretty much claiming this creature sharing his bed, and he his exhaustion wasn't putting up much of a fight controlling the beast.

"Nope, as single as you can get," she said with a grin.

Yeah, Auggie thought, that doesn't help. Nor does the warmth of her body or the trusting, smiling way she was looking at him now. He wondered at that moment why, in the middle of their desperate situation, she was asking about his availability – sexually. He thought, sure, he'd been fantasizing about her since the moment she stepped into their offices, but…

His thoughts were seized by the feel her moving again. Maybe she was just getting comfortable, but when she stopped, he noticed their bottom halves were closer than before, and her face was also noticeably closer.

"I'm glad you're here, Auggie."

"Why – would do you say that?" he asked, with a gulp.

"Just thinking – now and before, really – that if it'd been with anyone else, or I'd be here alone, I'd probably be dead by now."

Her last few words were a whisper, but his super sensitive hearing caught them. It was enough to kick his libido-driven brain into the corner and bring his compassionate side out. He brought his one hand out to soothe her – on her shoulder this time – and the movement brought the rest of her body to align against his until they were completely touching.

"Don't know about that," he whispered. "You've been holding your own."

"You're not just saying that to be nice, are you?"

Auggie shook his head. He was too exhausted and too in-the-moment for subterfuge now. "Annie Walker, I've known soldiers who would've protested being force-marched through rocky terrain in hot, humid weather, but you took it in stride. Not to mention being forced to make camp at the end of it. Suffice to say, you take my breath away."

"You're not the only one," she replied.

That was the only thing he heard before the dim light he'd been able to discern that'd made out her soft features and glowing brown eyes grew darker as she crossed the mere inches that lay between them and pressed her lips to hers.

* * *

**A/N Mmmm! I know y'all were hoping for the action in this chapter, but hey, got to make this realistic, ya know? Can't wait to write the next chapter. lol**

**Please review. More reviews=faster updates. It's a proven fact!**


	7. Chapter 7

Annie POV

She could've blamed it on exhaustion, anxiety, the fact that they were alone, in the dark, and lying next to each other. But now was not the time for analyzing her current situation. Her mind was tired and went into down mode as soon as they pulled the blanket over themselves. Which left, of course, her body awake and aware. It niggled at her mind to say something, anything, to break the tension that was building in their little moon-enhanced cocoon.

And then, when he'd revealed his secretive past, her heart joined in on the action. He brushed away her concerns, but the fine lines around his eyes and tightness around his mouth as he spoke belied his words. They really shouldn't, she knew. This was not a time for romance – alone in the dark, fighting for survival. But maybe she could ease some of his pain? Truly show her appreciation for keeping her safe and her spirits up.

It was only supposed to be a caress, a brush of her mouth against his to show her thanks 'cause she couldn't find the right words. But once their lips touched – as their bodies were doing already – both of them gave a whimper.

She didn't know what the reason for his was, but her own was an involuntary response, as if her whole being had been waiting for this moment, and it finally came – unknown and completely wanted.

He moved before she did. His hand, rough, calloused, yet gentle, grasped her chin to make sure she didn't move away. She could have told him she had no plans to do so, but her mouth was otherwise occupied.

The small quarters they were in and handmade bedframe limited her movements, but Annie had to touch him. With a few more creaks, her arms were around his neck, and they were kissing as if it were their last chance on earth to do so.

"God, Annie," he breathed, as they broke apart for air. His face dove into her neck, his words and panting setting her skin on fire. "I've been wanting to touch you like this all day."

Annie couldn't respond. Her brain was on automatic, responding only to the heat emanating from his hands and body. She knew it had nothing to do with the silver blanket that was sliding off of them in their frenzied movements. Too many clothes, she thought, her hands hastily unzipping his jacket and pushing it off his shoulders as her mouth worked his muscle-corded neck.

He seemed to have the same idea, as she felt the buttons of her blouse being popped open. A flash of frustration worked through her at their small confines.

"Shh," Auggie said, stilling their movements.

Annie froze, afraid for a moment that he didn't want this, that he was pushing her away. But no, he was only slowing them down, and with one more hot-as-fire kiss against her lips, he moved back a few inches and pulled his jacket off. With a smile, Annie did the same. The ominous creaking of their hammock meant they had to make small movements, but in under a minute, he was reaching for her again.

His hands were reverent this time as they slid over her now bare shoulder and down her chest. "Even more beautiful than I'd imagined," he whispered, before lowering his head to the moon-enhanced glowing skin of her breast.

* * *

By the brightness against her eyelids and the sounds of the forest waking up around her, Annie knew morning had come. Her first thought was of Auggie, and her hand immediately reached out to him, but came up empty. From past failed relationships, her heart gave a jump, and her brain filled with worry, but it just as quickly reminded her that Auggie was not Ben, her ex, and there was nowhere he could run off to.

She smiled at her own silly thoughts and shifted a bit. Last night, despite the limitations placed on them, was one of the most wonderful and beautiful experiences she'd ever had. Auggie proved a resourceful lover, given that they were on a handmade hammock and not a proper and supportive bed. Just the memory of what they'd done together had her lower half squirming a bit.

A few movements sounded from outside the sail canopy of their bed, and she wondered where Auggie had gone off to. She hoped he was gathering more water for them – though her stomach was begging for something more filling. She wondered whether or not Auggie's expertise extended to berries or leaves they could eat along the way today. Now that they had a small stream to follow down to the coast, they were in better luck to reach the beach by nightfall, but it would be easier to do so with more energy than she felt now.

She'd only just started to pull the blanket off of her body when a loud, high-pitched squeal pierced the air. The sound froze her movements, and she lay trembling, wondering what it possibly could be, and scared 'cause it was so very close.

A few grunts ripped the air then, and those were most certainly human. Oh, my God, she thought. Auggie! That got her moving, and she threw the blanket off of her and jumped off the hammock. A few more squeals sounded, and she shouted out in fright, "Auggie!"

When she pushed the canopy out of her way, she came to an abrupt halt. A few feet away, Auggie knelt on the ground, his fingers bloodied as they thrust and twisted his Swiss Army knife into the head of what she assumed was one of the feral pigs that he'd warned her about.

It didn't look like any pig she'd seen in her lifetime, though. This one was covered in black hair, but its squeals and shouting coming from a mouth below a pug, flat nose showed it was most definitely a pig.

"Good morning, Annie," Auggie said, a triumphant smile on his face. "Want some bacon for breakfast?"

"I – what –"

She couldn't think straight. From bliss to fright to the gruesome sight in front of her, her entire being was frozen.

"Got up about an hour ago," he said, pulling his now red knife out of the still animal. "Heard him rooting around in the brush. Took a while, but I finally got the jump on him."

"You – you killed it."

"Yep. Don't know about you, but that bite of Powerbar last night didn't really appease my appetite."

He stood and bent down to pick up the now-dead pig. "I'll clean it out in the woods and bury the entrails. Don't need anything following the smell to us, do we?"

Annie wasn't sure what the culprit was – the sight of the bleeding pig or the mention of entrails - but suddenly, her empty stomach cramped in protest, and she sunk to her knees on the ground. It wouldn't do much good to throw up now, given the emptiness of her stomach, she knew. Intense concentration and a few deep breaths later, she'd calmed her mind and stomach and got back up to her feet.

The activities of the last few minutes put a decided damper on the delicious mood she woke in, and with a sigh, she grabbed up the empty "canteen" and headed to the river to get water.

* * *

**A/N Yes, I know. I'm a tease. But the story's slated as T, and I'm averse to upping the rating just to sneak in a sex scene. I may do a M-rated outtake later, but for now, hope you enjoyed it. Wasn't sure if they could pull off sex in a hammock, but, hey, why not?**

**Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

Feeling hope for the first time since they'd crashed through the tree canopy yesterday afternoon, Auggie made quick work of gutting and skinning the small-sized pig. He'd like to have had something larger, just to have more meat for both of them, some for now, and some for later, but he knew his knife wouldn't have been able to take out anything larger.

It wasn't the way he'd wanted to spend the morning after such a wondrous night. After getting up at the break of dawn and breathing in the fresh air, he took note of the clear skies that he hoped foretold of a sunny day. Trudging through this dense forest with its undergrowth of brush was difficult enough without having to be soaking wet while doing so.

It was at this time that he'd heard the sounds of something approaching their camp. It was a good half hour before he was able to sneak up on the beast and drive his knife through its skull, but the end result was they had sustenance for the day, and with the stream and Annie's water purification tablets, they were good to go.

As he worked on the pig, he tried not to get any blood or anything on his clothing. Having nothing to change into, he didn't want to be covered in muck for the rest of the day, attracting bugs and possibly other wildlife.

It took a good half hour, but soon he had a pile of edible meat laid out on a large frond. Now, he wondered, how to make a fire to cook it. He knew several ways to make a fire without matches or flint, but it would be a tough go. He only hoped Annie would be in the mood to help.

He buried entrails as deep as he could and cleaned up the area. Happy with his efforts, he took their breakfast back to the camp, but Annie was nowhere to be seen. He had a slight twinge of fear, but soon found her sitting by the stream, the canopy-canteen sitting beside her, full of water.

She'd seemed pretty traumatized at being woken up so horrendously, and he ached to go comfort her, but first thing's first. He needed to clean up. He walked a ways downstream to clean the blood off of his hands and forearms, making sure they were completely free of the evidence of his hunt before walking back up to her.

He'd been sneaking glances of her while washing, and not once did she look in his direction. Her bare feet splashed in the water, and her golden swath of hair - even more beautiful in the soft morning light, he noted - hid her face from him.

By his heavy footfalls, he knew she was aware of his presence, so he sat down just behind her. He ached to wrap his arms around her, partly as an apology for how she'd woken up, and just to extend the intimacy they'd shared last night.

"Hey," he said, placing a hand softly on her back. She'd left her jacket back at the hammock, as had he. They'd re-dressed after making love, more for comfort against the harshness of their bed than anything. Beneath the jacket, she'd worn a sleeveless top, and though he felt it last night, he could see now how toned and golden her skin was. "Sorry you had to see that this morning."

"It's okay," she said with half a laugh. "I wanted to throw up, but didn't. Not that I had anything to do that with.

"I was hoping to surprise you with breakfast, but the little guy spoiled my plans," he said. That earned him another laugh, and he slid down to sit beside her. The water looked inviting, so he took off his own boots and socks and joined her feet in the sparkling water.

He gasped at the sensation that the cool water sent throughout his whole body. "God," he groaned with satisfaction. "That makes me want to strip down naked and jump in."

"Nobody's stopping you."

Just that statement, those three words, made another part of his anatomy start to stir, and he wished they were dipping their feet into a pond or lake that he could jump in with her in his arms and continue their actions from last night. But no, it was a rocky rill of a stream, and he doubted the smooth, slippery rocks would be comfortable underneath their bodies.

He grinned and lifted an eyebrow. "That sounds like a dare, Miss Walker."

"What? Mr. -killing-a-pig-before-sunrise scared of a little cold water?" she asked in a far-from-innocent tone. She flipped her hair back over her shoulder, and he saw that beautiful face come into full view, the wide brown eyes smiling with concealed mirth.

"Not at all," he said, scooting closer. "But I've got to get a fire going to cook that meat, and - aww, crap! I can't believe I forgot that."

Without giving an explanation, Auggie hastily pulled his feet out of the water and shook them dry, pulling on his socks and boots as quick as he could.

"What's going on?" Annie asked, following his lead and slipping her own boots on.

Auggie smiled. "Once you see what I remembered, you're gonna regret teasing me," he said, pulling her to her feet. Keeping her hand in his, they ran back across the meadow to their camp. He went immediately to the end of the hammock where he'd stowed all their gear. Harness, he thought. Where's my damn harness?

"Ha ha!" he exclaimed as he pulled it out.

"Your harness?"

"Not just the harness, it's what's inside it that you're going to love," he said, his fingers pulling the webbing apart, the sound of rending Velcro filling the air. "A lighter!"

Annie's mouth fell open at the sight of the small Bic Auggie held aloft. "You've had a lighter this whole time? We could've had a fire last night."

"Oh, I would say that we were plenty warm enough last night," he said, his voice dropping down as memories assailed him. They appeared to affect her, as well, as he saw the pale skin of her cheeks flush pink.

"Yeah, that umm - the survival blanket really works, huh?" she asked.

"Nice try," he teased with a smirk.

He placed his thumb on the sparker, praying to whatever God was listening that it still worked. It'd been in his harness for weeks now, but he hadn't needed to use it to repair the nylon cording. He still mentally facepalmed himself for forgetting such a thing.

The first try produced a few sparks, but no flame. He refused to give up, though, and held the small device up to the sun. He could see the lighter fluid inside, and the flint was obviously still good. He swallowed down his nervousness and tried it again. A small, orange flame beckoned to him, and he let it glow for a few seconds before releasing it.

"Yay!" Annie yelled, before throwing her arms around him.

Auggie nearly dropped the lighter at the unexpected show of emotion, but he clasped it in his fist and wrapped his own arms around her slight frame. He allowed himself the few moments of warmth and affection and even silently took an inhale of her hair. Despite tramping through dense forest, her perfume or shampoo held the hint of citrus.

He leaned back slightly and couldn't resist slipping in a small kiss on her smiling lips. "Wish we had time for me to cook you a traditional Hawaiian luau."

"No matter," she replied. "We can do that once we get back home."

"Really?" he asked. "Will you wear a coconut-shell bikini and a grass skirt, too?"

She giggled and didn't answer with anything but a shrug of her shoulders before giving him another squeeze and walked off into the forest. His eyes followed her, mentally picturing her wearing the outfit. Damn, he thought. Not the time, Anderson. Not the time.

If anything, that mental picture – and last night's coupling – made him want to work that much faster in getting them home. He ran after her to gather sticks and twigs for the fire.

* * *

**A/N Shout out and many thanks to Gwynne G for the hint about the lighter that'd be an essential part of the equipment these guys would carry. Love ya!**

**They're in good shape and well on their way out of the jungle, finding a stream to follow down to the ocean. What do you think of their chances? And their budding romance? Is it true love, or just circumstances that are keeping them together and happy?**

**Please review.**


	9. Chapter 9

Annie POV

The sound and sizzle of the meat being licked by the orange flames of Auggie's fire assuaged Annie's memory of watching the beast being killed the minute she woke up. It also made her empty stomach growl and mouth water. She took a sip of water to soothe her digestive system and sat back in the grass, her legs crossed in front of her.

Auggie was in a similar situation on the other side of the fire, occasionally poking at the fire or meat to test its doneness. She'd wanted to grab a piece off as soon as one small piece started to sizzle, but Auggie warned her they'd have to wait until they're completely cooked. She frowned at that, but knew he was right. There was no use getting sick now, no matter how hungry she was.

Still, the wait was exacerbated by the silence that'd settled between them. She wondered what he was truly thinking about last night, but was never really the type of girl who begged their man to "tell me what you're thinking."

So, after a few more minutes of silence as the rising sun began peeking through the trees, Auggie deemed a few pieces ready, and he tried to give them all to Annie.

"Uh-uh, we're sharing this equally," she said. "I don't need you passing out from hunger on our way down to the coast."

As soon as the meat hit her mouth, Annie began immediately to feel better. They passed the water "canteen" between them as their breakfast commenced.

"So," she said, passing him the water. "This is kind of an odd situation we're in, isn't it?"

"Definitely a first for me, I'll give you that," he replied.

"Just saying, I normally don't sleep with a guy on a first date," she teased.

He laughed, "Getting stranded on an uninhabited island is kind of an odd choice for a date."

"Just didn't want you to think that I'm normally like that," she pointed out.

"Never thought you were, Annie. But that's just first impressions," he said. He picked up the stick holding the last strip of meat and crawled over beside her. "You know, I was attracted to you yesterday morning when you first walked into Flying High."

"Really?"

"Yep. What about you?"

Annie grinned, wondering why this hunk of a man who was an ex-soldier and so smart needed his ego massaged, but she said, "Would you be upset if I said I wasn't?"

"Not upset, but kind of hoping."

"All I was thinking about was getting the opportunity to parasail like I'd seen others do. It looked so freeing and fun, I didn't have the time to pay attention to my sexy teacher."

That got him grinning again, and he threw her a wink while carefully packing up the last of their meat. Annie's stomach silently protested, but she knew they should plan for later.

"Why don't we clean up our camp here and play a good, old-fashioned game of 20 questions? I'd like to get to know more about you, as ridiculous as that sounds at this point," he said.

"Can I go first?" Annie said, jumping to her feet.

For a half an hour, they made sure they left nothing behind – except their hammock – washing as best they could, putting out the fire, and repacking their supplies.

As they did so, they swapped information back and forth, and Annie found out that they had more in common than she ever could have hoped for – love for adventure, movies, music. It soon went from an exchange of facts to her telling him about her job as a translator that took her around the world. Though she was based in Washington, DC, she'd spent only about a month out of the year in her apartment and felt more at home on the road. She explained it was probably due to moving around so much as an Army brat.

Despite being so alike now, Auggie's life growing up was the polar opposite of hers. Baby boy in a family of five boys in Glencoe, Illinois, excelling in athletics and academics and jumping directly into the Army after graduation. After spending a decade wearing a uniform, he'd been discharged and hooked up with a buddy of his, Arthur Campbell, and his wife, who'd settled in Hawaii to help run their company.

Being the Army brat she was, Annie wondered at the discharge after ten years, 'cause that wasn't a normal amount of recruitment time, but things were going so well, she filed that piece of information away for later and continued with their camp cleanup.

Her eyes kept creeping back over to their hammock and remembering last night. It'd been close to 24 hours now that she met this man, but she felt herself falling for him. If they were anywhere else but this unwelcoming rock of an island, she knew they'd be falling back into each others' arms right about now. Maybe not in that hammock, but the grassy meadow was cool and inviting.

Now wasn't the time to think of these types of things, she knew, though. It was still a long day's worth of hiking to get back to civilization.

* * *

**A/N Shorter than I'd like, but haven't had decent writing time as of late. It's only Monday, and it'd probably be the weekend before I can sit down and crank out some more. So, it was either publish what I got or make you wait even longer. So, consider this an amuse bouche of a chapter to whet your appetite. :)**

**Please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

"Make sure you don't get your shoes wet in the stream," Auggie said as they trudged out of their mystical meadow into the canopied forest. "We'll follow this down as far as it'll go. Just pray it doesn't peter out."

"We'll make it, Auggie. I trust you."

Bolstered by her confidence, Auggie smiled and then set out. If he were by himself, he'd be able to go faster, but he doubted Annie's stamina was up to his. He was guessing at this point how far they'd have to travel, but if his calculations were correct, they'd have to make it to the beach by this afternoon. Their breakfast – and lunch hidden away in his pack – provided calories and sustenance, but the amount of energy they were expending climbing and hiking and ducking under tree branches was burning through that quickly.

"Hey, Auggie?"

"Yeah?" he asked, turning back to her. She was a few steps behind and motioned for him to keep walking. He waited 'til they were side-by-side and continued their hike.

"Think we'll get out of here by tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm hoping," he said. "Thanks to your compass, at least we'll get there in a straight line and won't be walking around in circles."

She blushed at the compliment, stirring a feeling in Auggie that made him want to throw her over his shoulder and run back to their hammock. Which brought another thought. He'd been allowing himself to live in the bubble of what they'd created last night, and the extension of it this morning by the stream and around the fire, that the reality of their situation bubbled to the forefront of his mind.

Annie Walker was a tourist with a plane ticket to return home today. Well, she wouldn't be making that flight, but, he figured, she'd probably rebook it for tomorrow or the next day.

It wasn't that he slept with every gorgeous woman he took up in the air, but Auggie had his share of one-night stands and hook-ups. They almost always ended with an unspoken agreement that both of them knew what they were getting into, and see you around some time. With Annie, Auggie felt a sense of loss already, and she was less than a foot away from him.

"Hey, you feeling okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure," he answered, forcing a smile on his lips lest his thoughts were betrayed on his face.

"You look as though you were worried about something."

Perceptive, Auggie thought. He'd have to add that to the list of Annie attributes. Beautiful and intelligent were already on the list. "Just concentrating on getting my charge out of the mess I put her into," he said.

His steps had lengthened, taking him in front of her again. He told himself that it was to try out the trail before she walked on it, but really, his feelings for her erupted fully overnight, and he had a hard time processing what they meant.

"I hope you don't mean that, Auggie. It was hardly your fault that we got stranded here."

Her soft tone only irritated the guilt that he'd carried around with him since the previous afternoon. It pushed him to tell her the truth, now, before they went any further. And do it while he couldn't see her face.

"It is my fault, Annie, and if you never forgive me, I'll understand. It was windy yesterday, normally too windy to safely parasail, but I saw a small opening in the forecast. Guess it was too small of an opening, 'cause, well, you know what happened."

She didn't respond, and Auggie thought, well, at least he had one wonderful night to carry in his memories. The one good thing was that neither of them were severely hurt in the crash. Guess God does watch out for drunks and fools, he thought.

An hour into their hike, and the stream had widened considerably, as several small ones fed into it, and by the clearing of trees and increase in rocks, he knew they were getting close to that waterfall that was the focal point of his parasailing flights. He'd flown over it enough times that he knew if they'd get there okay, it was only a few hundred yards before the flow of water emptied into the ocean.

Once he saw the first large outcropping of rocks, a smile slashed across his face, and his steps increased.

"Auggie, wait!"

He slowed down a bit, but kept moving forward, his adrenaline pushing him more than anything else. Soon, his booted feet hit flat rock, and what he saw in front of him filled him with relief for the first time in 20 hours. The rushing water that created these smooth, flat stones suddenly fell 50 feet, ending in a frothing pool below. He – and everyone he took parasailing – thought it looked beautiful from a distance, but up close, it was utterly breathtaking.

Taking a moment, he inhaled deeply, the mist from the water filling his lungs along with the air. In the distance, between the limbs and leaves of the below trees, he could see the ocean glinting at him.

A step of boots on rock sounded beside him, and he looked over to see that Annie had caught up with him. "Almost there, Annie," he said softly. "We're almost there."

"Wow. It's even more beautiful up close than it was from when we were up in the air," she said.

He looked over to her, and his heart clenched at the pure beauty of her face as she looked out towards the ocean. Yesterday, he'd only felt guilt because his actions had put him and Annie in danger. Now, after last night and this morning, that guilt had doubled due to the affection and respect that he'd begun to feel.

"Makes you want to just build a hut here and stay forever, huh?" he asked.

She looked up at him with happiness and adoration shining from her wide brown eyes. "Would you stay here with me?"

Auggie didn't answer. He reached out with one strong hand and curled it around the back of her head, pulling him towards her. Their lips met with the rush of relief that came with being so close to rescued and the remembered attraction from the previous night.

With neither of them wanting to let go, it continued on for a few minutes until Auggie forced himself to part from her. He cupped her head in his hands to force her eyes to his. "I'm going to get you home, Annie Walker."

"I had no doubt that you would," she whispered back, her hands coming up to cup his wrists, keeping them anchored to her face.

Her unabated trust in him shook Auggie to the core, and he shook his head slightly. "How in the hell can you believe in me so much considering I'm the one that got you here in the first place?" he asked.

"It was an accident, Auggie," she said tersely. "I know you said you were worried about the wind, but weather is and always has been volatile, no matter where you are."

"But –"

"No," she said, raising a hand to press her fingers against his lips. "Auggie, I've been caught in sandstorms in the desert and floods in the rainforests. No matter how well you plan, Mother Nature will always let you know who's boss."

And with that, Auggie felt the majority of his guilt left off his shoulders. He shut his eyes with the feeling and felt his body shudder as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"I don't deserve you, Annie Walker," he whispered into her honey-gold hair.

"No, you don't," she replied. "But we're all given our burdens to bear in life. I guess that's mine."

Auggie laughed and squeezed her once more to him, enjoying the softness of her body and strength of her will before letting go. "What do you say we finish off the rest of our meal and water and then go get rescued?"

* * *

**A/N Okay, I fibbed. Had enough time, energy, and help of Luksusowa to power through to this chapter. Personally, I like it. Auggie got to unload his guilt, and they've grown closer. Still got to get off this cliff and decide what to do for the rest of their lives, though. hmm.**

**Please review. Love reading everyone's thoughts as they come on this journey with me. And remember, I'll probably do an M-rated oneshot once this is over of "that night." hubba, hubba.**


	11. Chapter 11

Annie POV

They sat on the cool flat rock while the water rushed past them and dropped into the froth below as they ate the rest of the pig. Annie tried to tell herself it was either bacon or pork chops, but couldn't. She'd seen it killed in front of her, and though Auggie's expertise had it cut perfectly and cooked just as well, it was nothing but sustenance at this point.

The company and ambience more than made up for it, though. Despite their circumstances and very recent past, Annie began to think that this looked more like a romantic rendezvous than anything else. She began to giggle at the thought, and when Auggie looked at her quizzically, she began to laugh even harder.

"I'm sorry, Auggie," she said after she regained her breath. "It's just, I'm supposed to be on a packed airplane right now, in coach, probably with a screaming baby next to me. Yet, here I am, with you by my side, in what anyone would call paradise, nibbling on a piece of feral pig."

He grinned at her, and she was glad he got her sense of humor instead of looking at her like she'd gone off the deep end.

"Make sure you eat all of that," he said. Then he sighed and leaned back on his elbows. "If anything, this little episode has taught me to pack more than my Swiss Army knife when I head out."

"Really?" Annie teased. "Has the lowly tourist taught the highly trained soldier boy some tricks?"

It was Auggie's turn to laugh now, but once he'd regained his breath, he sat up and leaned over to her. "Soldier boy?"

"Yep. My own personal soldier boy. I believe they made a song about you. If you'd like, I can sing it for you."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Maybe later."

Annie smiled in response, but somewhere in her state of happiness a thread of reality was still running. It'd been with her throughout the ordeal, but – especially last night – she'd been ignoring it. Her flight home was scheduled for 10am, and even if they'd been plucked off the top of this waterfall by helicopter and flown to the airport, she wouldn't make it on time. By her calculation, they'd probably make it to the beach in a couple of hours, and be in civilized country by this afternoon. The thought made her current mood - giddy and happy - settle a bit.

With that, she gazed over across the flat, sun-dappled rocks to the mist rising from the falling waters. To her bittersweet delight, a faint rainbow arced between the trees the mist below.

She'd been thinking a lot since last night. Despite her teasing and flirting with Auggie, her true feelings remained buried deep inside. Previous relationships had made her a bit gunshy, and she'd learned over the years to keep her thoughts to herself before she gave voice to them.

Since the moment she'd reached for Auggie, last night when he'd opened himself to her and let her in, she'd been subconsciously planning and wondering how she could ever let this man go. He was more fun and adventurous and sexy than anyone she'd ever met, and she began to realize that her small apartment in Washington, DC, was not the haven she often looked forward to. Right now, its normally calm influence seemed dull and lonely to her.

The sun had risen higher, and its rays shone through the canopy and mist to create a bright arc of a rainbow so close to her through the waterfall, that she felt she could touch it. Her gasp was obviously audible enough for Auggie to hear.

"Gorgeous, isn't it?"

Annie half-laughed. "Don't get this kind of stuff I DC, I'll tell you that."

He didn't reply, and Annie sighed. Their rescue was all she was thinking about for a full day, but now, she half hoped that a rescue boat or helicopter wouldn't come until the morning. She shook her head at her thoughts.

Now was not the time for romance, despite the affectations and interest of the man sitting next to her. Once they were in civilized country with reality settled in around them could plans for the future be made. It was a depressing and mood-killing thought, but the truth of it settled onto her, and she embraced it fully, despite the screeching of her heart.

"Well, I guess we'd better think about getting off of this rock and down onto the beach," she said.

* * *

A half hour later, she was kicking the pragmatic side of herself. It'd talked her into getting back to reality, but what she was looking at now made her wish for her fantasy life back.

"I know it looks a little dodgy, but please believe that I'd never let you fall."

Yeah, right, Annie wanted to answer, but she instead she said, "Okay," to Auggie as he strapped her into the parasail harness that had been now transformed into a rappelling set-up. Her reticence didn't lie in his knowledge of leading her down a steep cliff, but her lines, in their fall through the heavily forested canopy, they'd been damaged. He showed them to her, but insisted that they'd be good enough for the 50 feet or so she'd have to traverse down the side of the waterfall.

They'd tried looking for a way down by foot, but neither side was traversable without a good half-day's walk. Annie took a couple of deep breaths and a long look into Auggie's eyes before she nodded.

"Okay, let's do this."

It was the longest minute of Annie's life, she knew that for sure, but when her feet touched solid rock, she knew she was safe. She also knew that Auggie Anderson had a big kiss waiting for him when he rappelled down, as well.

* * *

They stood on the beach, which to some would have been idyllic, but to Auggie and Annie, looked as foreboding as the canopied jungle they'd just crawled out of.

Annie, for some reason, thought that a boat would be waiting for them. Joan, their driver yesterday, or, perhaps, her husband, Arthur, at the helm. They'd be welcomed with open arms and congratulations for surviving for so long in a place that'd proved its inhospitability time and time again over the years.

They were wet and tired and wrung out. Annie felt it and, by looking at Auggie and knowing his moods over the last 24 hours, could see it in him, as well.

"They haven't forgotten about us, have they?" she asked.

* * *

**Please review. **


	12. Chapter 12

Auggie POV

They'd hiked for hours and survived rappelling down a cliff with the dodgy harnesses of the parasail. He thought that'd be the final difficulty of the day. Now that the ocean spread out in front of them, and the sand lay beneath their feet, he should feel relieved.

Annie had a point, he thought. He, too, assumed Joan wouldn't have given up on them and kept watch at the agreed-upon spot for their return. He shook his head to clear it of the negativity creeping in. Just because she wasn't here now doesn't mean no help was coming at all.

"Losing faith in me already?" he asked with a tired smile. "Come on, let's drop our gear and get a fire going."

"What for? It's hot enough now."

"Not for heat, for smoke. We need to create as much grey or black smoke as we can to mark where we are."

"Okay," she said, dropping her gear and stripping her coat off. He did so, as well. Under the canopy of the forest, the heat of the sun was off of them, but out here, it shone down with all its intensity.

Once he'd prepared a good-sized pit in the sand, he gathered as much dry material as he could and lit it. Annie had found some driftwood along the banks, and he added it to the pile. It wasn't much, and so he grabbed some damp fronds and carefully placed them on top. He wished he had some type of rubber or other device to place on top to create some noxious smoke.

"What about the parasail?" Annie asked.

"Huh?"

She stood back with him watching the fire. "It's made out of nylon or whatever, right? That'd make some great smoke."

He sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, it would, but if we have to spend another night here, we'd be destroying our only means of comfort."

"Do you really think we'll be here another night?"

Her eyes went wide at the thought, and Auggie so wanted to comfort her and promise so many things, but the past 24 hours had worn the both of them down, not to mention the lack of food and water.

"I don't know, Annie, but we have to be ready for anything. We're going to be all right, you know?"

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's a big sail. Maybe just half of it for the fire? That'd leave plenty for us to wrap up in later."

"Okay, that sounds good. Wish we had room here for another hammock."

"Worried about getting sand in your shorts?" she asked with a laugh.

"No, the tide. You can see the line where it comes in," he said. "We'll just hunker down a bit higher than that and wait it out."

He ducked his head down and gave her a short, intense kiss before letting go.

* * *

An hour later, they both sat on the sand watching as their sail was eaten up by the flames and billowed out puffs of black smoke. Auggie kept his hearing tuned for any sound of a motor. Though the majority of his thinking was hoping they'd be sleeping in a regular bed tonight, the ex-soldier in him was making provisions for spending another night as castaways.

In their quest for wood, he'd retrieved a few coconuts from the few palm trees that lined the coast. He'd been able to gouge a hole in one so they could drink the water, and a few whacks against a rock split it in half.

He leaned back on his elbows and smiled as Annie did the same beside him. The heat of the day had them both stripped to their pants and shirts. He joked that they could very well strip down to nothing, given it was just them, but Annie pointed out if rescue did suddenly come, it'd be kind of embarrassing.

"Talk to me, Annie," he said suddenly.

"Mm, about what?" she asked, turning to lie on her side beside him.

"Anything."

"Okay. I've been thinking about making a major life change once we get off this rock."

Auggie had been expecting anecdotes from childhood or maybe her travels, but this caught him off guard. He had half a mind to change the subject, but instead, he copied her body language and lay down facing her. It was reminiscent of last night, and he fought to pull her against him again.

"Oh, yeah?" he asked.

"I just –" she sighed and looked up into his face. "I know we haven't talked about what's going to happen once we leave 'cause we've been so intent on staying alive, but I think we should."

Auggie swallowed hard. He'd been putting this off, as well, but now that the end was in sight, the time had come. Without a word, he nodded, content to let her make a decision without his influence.

"I love my job, Auggie, but, really, the last 24 hours has kind of dampened my love for adventure."

"And probably put you off bacon for a while," he added, which earned him a light slap to his chest.

"I'm serious here, Auggie," she said, though a smile played around her lips. "I'm not trying to force myself into your life, but I'd like to know what you'd think about me moving to Hawaii."

It was more than Auggie could have ever thought, and for a few seconds, he was struck dumb. Then the full realization of what she was proposing struck him, and he couldn't help himself. His arms reached out and pulled her to him. He rolled on his back with the momentum and brought her with him.

"I take it you like the idea?" she asked, her words slightly muffled as her face was pressed into his chest.

"Yes, Annie," he replied. "God, a million times, yes."

He loosened his grip on her so she could lean up, and he cupped her face in his hands, pushing her golden blonde hair off her cheeks. "You are so beautiful."

The compliment blushed her cheeks, and he smiled before leaning up to capture her lips with his. He didn't want to let her go, and her arms snaked around his neck. Soon their legs were entwined, and Auggie began to rethink his aversion to getting sand in his shorts.

In fact, they were so wrapped up each other that the distant rumble that signified something other than waves crashing was approaching. It was only until they'd broken apart to gasp for air that the foreign sound reached Auggie's ears.

"Annie?"

"Mm, Auggie, don't stop," she said, nuzzling her face into his neck.

He groaned as his body started to light up with emotion, but he reluctantly pushed her away a few inches. "Annie, do you hear something?"

"What are you talking about, Auggie?" she asked, a frown marring her face.

"I think I hear a boat."

"Oh!" she exclaimed and hurriedly climbed off of him.

Auggie climbed to his feet, as well, and they both scanned the wide expanse of ocean.

"There!" Auggie shouted as the familiar sight of Joan and Arthur's speedboat came into view.

They both began shouting and waving, and once the boat slowed and began to turn in their direction, they dropped their arms in relief.

"It's over, Auggie," Annie whispered.

* * *

**A/N Perhaps one or two more to wrap up. Please review. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Annie POV**

Annie heard a whoop of joy beside her, and Auggie jumped up in the air. Part of her wanted to join in his dance of joy, but the emotion of the past 24 hours hit her all at once, effectively paralyzing her.

Her eyes refused to leave the sight of the boat at it moved closer, even as they filled with tears that slid down her cheeks. A sob choked out of her throat as a gamut of emotions and feelings ran through her body and mind. Relief, regret, exhaustion, hunger, thirst.

"Annie, why don't you grab our gear while I put this fire out?" Auggie shouted, pulling her out of her state of emotional paralysis.

She took a deep breath and quickly wiped her face of the tears, though she couldn't do much about the ones that continued to leak out. Their stuff lay in a pile in the shade, and she gathered everything up in her arms and walked back out to the shoreline.

Auggie continued to whoop and laugh as he extinguished the fire, and she smiled slightly at his euphoria. She wished she could join in with his joy, but the last 24 hours seemed to have sucked out all of her energy.

"You okay?" Auggie asked, joining her at the shoreline. He put his arm around her shoulders, and Annie leaned into strength.

"Yeah, of course. Just can't believe it's all over," she said, smiling up at him.

"Told you I'd get you home," he teased.

"Yeah, you did. Though I remember something about a compass," she teased right back.

He then seemed to notice how watery her smile and eyes were, and he raised his hands to wipe her cheeks. "I'd cry tears of happiness, too, but years in the desert, I guess, dried those up permanently."

Annie laughed, then closed her eyes at his soft touch. She wished she could verbalize what she was feeling right then, but she was still so overwhelmed with emotion that she simply wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest.

She wasn't sure what was going to happen once they stepped onto that boat and wanted, for at least another minute, to enjoy his strength and warmth. 24 hours, she thought. She'd only met this man yesterday, yet she never wanted to let him go.

* * *

The next few hours went by in a blur. It seemed that Joan and Arthur had been circling the island all day yesterday and, when it got too dark, went home and came out again in the morning. They'd contacted the Coast Guard, but the canopy was too heavy to see anything on the ground, so a helicopter rescue was out of the question. They, too, simply watched for signs of life along the shore, which came the next morning with the smoke from the fire.

Once the Campbells explained Auggie's military background to the Coast Guard, they'd agreed to allow him a day or two to get out before sending a crew in to try to rescue them.

Annie thought they'd be taken back to the mainland and allowed to eat, rest, and relax, but after they got off the speedboat, they were separated, with Auggie going with the Coast Guard reps to debrief and explain the details of everything that happened.

Annie wanted to go with them, knowing Auggie's belief that he'd been at fault, but Joan stopped her.

"It's protocol, Miss Walker. He'll explain everything to them. Why don't I take you back to your hotel?"

Annie tore her eyes away from Auggie's retreating back to look at the tall, blonde woman in front of her. Her eyes held understanding and compassion, and Annie nodded.

"Oh, but wait a minute. I was supposed to check out of the hotel today, and be on an airplane by now."

Joan stopped her with a raised hand. "I've contacted them about what happened, and they agreed to hold the room and your belongings for at least another week. Do you have anyone else to talk to? We had no other contact information other than the hotel."

Annie shook her head. "No, not right now."

"Flying High will take care of any expenses you incur for extending your stay, of course," she added.

"That's not necessary."

"Please, allow us to do this. It's the least we can do."

Annie could tell she wouldn't be able to change the woman's mind, so she nodded and allowed herself to be bustled into a car and driven to the hotel. The EMT that checked her over couldn't believe that, other than lack of food and water for a day with such strenuous hiking, she was in perfect health.

Maybe physically, she thought, as she let herself into her hotel room. Emotionally, her mind was still in a swirl. She hoped she'd be able to talk to Auggie again soon and decided to take a long shower and change of clothes while she waited.

* * *

**AUGGIE POV**

Though he'd been used to protocols and debriefings and understood their importance, Auggie inwardly railed against the Coast Guard's slowness in filling out their incident paperwork.

Then they insisted he be checked out medically, and he should have remained quiet, but he made the mistake of mentioning his back was wrenched when they fell. He never said anything to Annie 'cause he didn't want to worry her, and he knew his limitations. But they insisted on x-rays and other tests to make sure nothing was permanently damaged.

It was late afternoon, then, by the time he was released, and he hurried back to Flying High headquarters. He needed to know how and where Annie was. He hoped Joan or Arthur had taken care of her while he was detained, and that one of them knew where she was staying or what she'd done after he'd gone off with the Guard.

What they had shared last night and this morning wasn't enough. He needed to see her here, face-to-face off the island to talk – truly talk – about what was going on between them. Was she serious about staying with him? Or was it just the prospect of never leaving the island that had her saying those things while they lay on the beach that morning?

Auggie had never been unsure about anything in his life, but living it without Annie Walker? That made him nervous. He couldn't let her go. Not now.

* * *

**A/N Yay! They're rescued! But, is this a happily ever after, after only 24 hrs? Hmm.**

**Please review.**


	14. Chapter 14

AUGGIE POV

Getting to Annie's hotel took another hour. Joan refused to give him the details until he told her what all happened between he and Annie . It seemed he wasn't the only one who had fallen under Annie's spell, given Joan's interrogation. For both his and Annie's sake, he kept the details to a minimum. He merely told Joan that they'd grown close during their short time together, and he needed to see her again to talk and make sure she was all right.

That seemed to placate Joan, but by the small smile on her face, he had an idea she knew what his true intentions were.

And if she had it figured out, Auggie wished she'd tell him. He was running on pure adrenaline and good intentions at the moment. Visions of Annie swam in front of his eyes, and all he knew was that he couldn't let things end as they were.

And now here he was, walking down the hallway to her hotel room, showered and dressed in clean clothes. Had he not been there earlier, like he'd wanted, he'd have picked up dinner or wine or flowers to bring to her. As it was, all he had was himself and his heart on his sleeve.

A waiter from room service was just ahead of him pushing a cart, and he saw the man stop at Annie's door. He raced ahead before the man got a chance to knock.

"Hold on a second. Let me take it in to her?"

The suited man gave him a raised eyebrow. "That's not really allowed, sir."

Which to Auggie meant, "If I let you take it in, I'll lose out on my tip." He immediately pulled out his wallet and slipped the man a large bill.

"Here, will this cover your troubles?"

Apparently, it did, as the young man's eyes fairly bugged out of his head. His hand reached out and snatched the bill before Auggie could change his mind, and he walked quickly away.

"You're welcome," Auggie said under his breath.

Then he inhaled deeply and knocked on Annie's door.

"Come on in!"

He did so, pushing the cart ahead of him. He was so intent on making sure all the bottles and dishes didn't jar as he did so that he didn't see Annie until he was inside and the door was shut.

"Auggie?!"

He looked up at her voice and felt his mouth go dry. He'd only known her how she looked when she walked into Flying High yesterday morning, with her hair up, tank, jacket, cargo pants, and boots. Now…

She'd obviously taken the time, as he had, to clean up and change clothes. Now her blonde hair lay in waves around her shoulders, and she wore a flowing white dress that set off her figure and tan.

Apparently, he'd been standing there too long, too quiet, and with his mouth hanging open, 'cause she took a couple of steps from the window toward him. "Auggie, are you all right?"

Her words shook him from his reverie, and he blinked and stepped from behind the cart full of food. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just – you look beautiful." He didn't mean to just come out and compliment her so blatantly like that, but he couldn't help himself.

Nor could he help crossing the space between them and taking her in his arms. Though just hours ago, they were making out on a beach, so much had happened since that time, he wouldn't blame her if she stepped away at the moment.

But she didn't, and as her arms came around him, he breathed a sigh of relief. The ensuing inhale brought a scent of citrus that he assumed was her shampoo or soap, and he knew right then he'd always associate that scent with the woman in his arms.

"I was hoping you'd come," she mumbled into his shirt.

He laughed and pulled away a bit to look at her face. "I meant to be here earlier, but everyone wanted a blow-by-blow of what happened out there."

She smiled and said, "You didn't tell them everything, did you?"

It was the smile that did Auggie in. He was so worried about her true feelings, and whether what they'd promised each other just hours ago hadn't dissipated with real life. "Now, Annie, what ever could you be referring to?" he teased right back at her.

She laughed and gave him a squeeze before walking up to the cart that he'd wheeled in. "Did you steal this off the waiter, or do you moonlight at the hotel?" she asked.

"Met him at the door. Maybe I should have told him to bring up another one. I haven't had a chance to eat yet, either."

He was reaching for the phone to order himself some food when her voice stopped him.

"You don't need to bother. I, umm, ordered enough for the both of us."

A self-satisfied smile graced Auggie's features, and he straightened back up, turned, and sat on the king-size bed that dominated the room. "Really?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't get so conceited. I was really hungry, despite your version of breakfast food this morning."

Auggie laughed. He knew, right then and there, that he'd met his match. Annie Walker was the one for him. He was into his 30s and knew if he'd wanted to have the life he always wanted – married, happy, with children – he'd have to find someone soon. He was way too world-weary to believe in fate or anything of that nature.

"Yeah, right," he replied. She was removing covers off of the plates, and he helped her, placing the assortments of foods and drinks on the table by the window.

They sat and ate in silence. Auggie would've mentioned something about stuffing yourself after being deprived, but he was too hungry to even think of such a thing. Besides, he told himself, it wasn't really THAT long that they'd been without real food. The human body can go much longer without sustenance, he knew, but given their circumstances and physicality they'd had to endure during their 24-hour "trip," they emptied the trays quickly.

A full half hour had passed without a word, and they were now leaned back in their chairs, a bottle of water in their hands. One appetite suppressed, Auggie now allowed himself to indulge in another. The previous night, as restricted as it was given their circumstances and location, still played like a movie reel in his mind, and he couldn't help but relive it again in his mind as Annie sat across from him.

And, he couldn't help but notice, she looked at him, as well. A swelling of male pride rose up in him at her perusal. He knew what he looked like and had acted on the female population's reaction to his looks in the past, but now he cared only for one woman's regard to him.

"So," he said.

"So," she replied.

Auggie smiled, "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course not."

"Did you mean it?"

Her mouth opened, then closed just as quickly. He wondered if he was pushing too hard, too fast, but he needed to know.

"Yes."

She'd said it so soft and so fast that he wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly. Or maybe he was just hearing what he wanted to instead of listening. It didn't matter either way, 'cause she sat her drink on the table and stood up.

He could do nothing but watch as she walked over to him and knelt by his side.

"Auggie, since the moment I walked in this hotel room, I've had time to do nothing but think. And believe me, a couple of times I've started packing my bags to go directly back to Washington DC."

At this, Auggie reached out to pull her up to him, but she pushed his hands away. "No, let me finish. Every time, I stopped myself, 'cause I remembered there was someone out there that I hoped was missing me as much as I missed him. And I couldn't leave, not yet. Not until I knew."

This time, Annie allowed his touch, and Auggie pulled her up from her knees to sit on his lap. She rested her head on his shoulders, and Auggie held her close.

"Then you walked in here, and I had my answer."

"There never should have been a question," Auggie replied.

Annie half-laughed and nuzzled her face into his neck, eliciting a shiver of delight throughout his body.

"I've been burned before and couldn't chance it."

"But you stayed," Auggie said.

"Yes, I did. Because I had faith that I'd see you again."

Auggie's body was gearing up quickly for everything it'd missed the night before, so he pulled back enough to look her directly into her warm brown eyes. "I promised you yesterday that I'd take care of you, Annie Walker. At the time, I was referring to getting you off of that island. But now I realize that I meant for much longer than that."

Her answering smile was all he needed. Their lips met with all the passion remembered from the island and the renewed emotion elicited from their reunion now.

**THE END**

* * *

**A/N Hope everyone enjoyed it. I really love how this all came together and appreciate everyone's reading and reviewing.**

**Please review.**


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